Timepiece



A. L. JEANNERET TIIIEPIECE Filed No v. 15. 1,929

2 Sheets- Sheet 1 f #555595; Y B WW AITO NEW.

Oct. 6, 1931. A. 1.. JEANNERET 1,825,906

TIMEPIECE Filed Nov. 15, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 LL L Elk ill N VENT OR 5 eahh eref ATTORNEY- Patented Oct. 6, 1931 PATENT OFFICE.

ABRAM LOUIS JEANNERET, or .onAux-nn-ronns, SWITZERLAND; ssrenon To rm wen, or GENEVA, swirznnrlnnn TIMEPIECE Application flledlfovember I5, 1929, Serial No. 407,531, and in Switzerland April 11, 1929.

angles to form a bracket to which the watch Q The present invention relatesto a timepiece of the type in which a watch is rotatably mounted in the interior oia casing provided with an opening anda lid therefore so that this'timepiececan' be carriedin a pocket,

the watch then being enclosed in the casing, or that it can be used as a table clock, the Watch then projecting out of the casing in a substantially upright'position.

' The primary ob ects of the invention are to provide a construction'of this character in which the parts are compactly'related and in which the watch can be brought easily and quickly from one'of the afore mentioned posltions into the other one.

In the drawings z- Figure 1 is a top plan view of the timepiece according tothe invention with the lid of the casing in closed position. I

Figure-2 is a similar view with the lid m open position.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the timepiece, the top part of the casing being supposed to be broken off to show the parts in the interior of the casing Figures iand' 5 show twoperspective View;

- Figure 6 is a top plan" view of the parts which are arranged inthe interior of the casing. g

Figures 7 and 8 are side elevations of Figure 6 showing the watch intwo different positions.

Figure 9is a top plan View of a modified form of construction of the partsin the interior of the casing. I

Figures 10 and 11. are side elevat ons of Figure 9 showing the watch intwo diflerent positions.

Figure12 is a section on line A-Aof Flgure 9.

In the embodiment according to Figures 1 to 8, 1 indicates a casing provided with an opening 2 which may be closed by means of a lid consisting oftwo members 3 and 4. In the interior ofthe casing is arranged a frame work to which a watch 5 is hingedly connected.

This frame work comprises a base plate 7 having an. extended portlon 8 bent up at right lid members in 5 is hinged; The base plate 7 also is integral with two flanges 9, each flange having a downwardly curved resilient strip 10 cut therefrom upon which strip a guide rod 11 is placed (see Fig. 5). The guide rods are longitudinally extending between the two end Walls of the casing and in Figure 3 are shown in dotted lines so as not to obstruct the View of the other parts.

The lid, arranged to normally close the opening 2', is formed of two lid members 3 and 4 which in their position of closure are placedend to end (see Fig. 1) while in open position they are adapted tobe superposed, the member 3 sliding below the member 4. The two lid members are carried by the guides 11 (seeFig. 5) and by the resilient strips 10 which urge the lid members against the upper portion of the casing 1. The member 3 is provided on its forward end with a projection 12 permitting to move the member with a finger. When the member 3 is pushed back and slides underneath the member 4, this pr0- jection bears upon the member 4 which in turn is pushed backwards andslidesundern'eath the upper part of the casing; The rear end of the lid member 3 is provided with two lugs 13 which, when the member 3 is moved to its closing position and is brought out from (ill underneath the member 4, engage the two abutments 14 on the member 4 and bring this member also in its position ofclosure.

Cams15 are secured to the watch, one on the left and one on the right side thereof. These cams comprise a beak 16 and a heel l7, and cooperate each with a spring 18 in such a way that, when the spring presses against the beak 16 (see Fig. 7), the watch 15 is maintained in the interior of the casing and when the spring acts against the curved portion of the cam situated between the beak. and the heel (see Fig. 8), it urges the watch to swing to an upright position." The heel 17 is arranged for cooperation with a lug 19 provid- Ed on the'inside forward end of the lidmem The operation of the timepiece is the following: In Figure 1,-the opening of the casing is closed; in order to see the time. oneacts upon the projection 12 of the lid member 3 and pushes this member to slide underneath the member 41; then the projection 12 acts upon the forward edge of the member 4 and both lid members 3 and 4 disappear into the interior of the casing 1 and the dial plate of the watch is uncovered. \Vhen in this position a slight pressure is exerted upon the projection 12, the lug 19 of the lid 3 acts upon the heel 17 of the cam, thereby disengaging the cal: 16 from the spring 18. The spring acts then upon the curved portion of the cam and raises the watch which turns about its hinge into an upright position. To close the timepiece, the watch 5 is pushed into the casing with a linger and then the projection 12 is pushed upwards; the lid member 3 appears first from the interior of the casing and by means of the lugs 13, engaging the abutments 14E, pulls the member lalso into closing position.

Owing to the division of the lid into two separate members the room required in the interior of the casing is half of that which a one piece cover would require, since in their open position, the two lid members are superposed. Moreover it is very practical to bring the watch into upright. position by a simple pressure upon the projecting flange 12, thus enabling the timepiece to be used as a table clock.

In the modification according to Figures 9 to 12 a similar casing and lid as these described are used. The watch is arranged to slide along a support 27 and is provided for this reason with two guides 28 engaging the support 27 which is hinged to a plate 21 provided with two flanges 22. The watch is alw ys urged into upright position by means of a spring 23, but normally the rotation of the watch around its hinge is prevented by a locking member 24 hearing against a pin 25 provided on the watch. The locking member 24 is supported by the inner side of one of the flanges 22 so that it canefiect a longitudinal sliding movement and it is held in the position shown in Figures 9 and 12, in which position it engages the pin 25, by means of a spring 26 carried by the plate 21. WVhen the lid is opened, the lug 19 strikes against the shoulder 30 ot' the locking member 24 at the end of the opening stroke and removes this member out of contact with the pin 25 against the action of the spring 26. The watch 20 is then raised owing to the action of the spring 23 and the lower edge of the watch strikes during this movement of rotation against a projection 29 of the plate 21, which projection forces the watch to slightly move upwards along the support 27. In this way the lower edge of the watch, which withoutthis sliding motion would stay engaged below the edge of the open lid, can slide freely through the opening of the casing and the watch can turn into upright position.

This construction offers the advantage that the casing can be made somewhat shorter, the lids uncovering not the entire watch but only so much of the dial plate as is necessary to see the time.

In order to close the casin the support 27 with the watch is pushed into the casing while at the same time the watch 20 is pushed downwardly along this support.

I claim:

1. A pocket casing adapted to contain an article to be alternately disclosed and concealed, comprising in combination, a substantially fiat, hollow casing body having an opening in one face, said article being mounted within the casing beneath said opening, and a plurality of cooperating lid members slidably mounted on said casing body in over lapping relation with each other and movable along the casing body to cover or expose said opening.

2. A pocket casing adapted to contain an article to be alternately disclosed and concealed, comprising in combination a substantially flat, hollow casing body having an opening in one face, said article being hingedly mounted within the casing below said opening, a plurality of lid members slidably mounted on said casing body in overlapping relation to each other and movable along the casing body to cover or expose said opening, a spring acting on said article, means for normally preventing said article from pivoting about its hinge under the action of said spring, and means on one of said lid members adapted upon opening of the lids to cause displacement of said first mentioned means to permit a pivotal movementof said article through the opening in the casing.

3. A pocket casing adapted to contain an article to be alternately disclosed and concealed, comprising in combination, a substantially flat, hollow casing body having an opening in one face, said article being hingedly mounted within the casing beneath said opening, two cooperating lid members slidably mounted on said casing body in overlapping relation with each other and movable along the casing body to cover or expose said opening, one of said lid members having an upwardly projecting forward edge and a rear edge provided with lateral lugs, and the second lid member being provided with an abutment, said upwardly projecting forward edge of the first lid member being adapted, upon a sliding movement of this member in one direction, to engage the second member and to cause a corresponding movement of this second member, and said lu adapted upon a sliding movement 0 the first member in opposite direction, to engage said abutment and to cause a corresponding movement of the second member, a spring acting on said article, means for normally preventbeing 12;:

ing said article from turning about its hinge under the action of said spring, and means on one of said lid members adapted upon opening the lids to cause displacement of said first mentioned means to permit a pivotal movement of said article through the opening in the casing.

4. A pocket casing adapted to contain an article to be alternately disclosed and concealed, comprising in combination, a substantially flat, hollow casing body having an opening in one face, two cooperating lid members slidably mounted on the casing body in overlapping relation to each other and movable along the casing body to cover or expose said opening, a frame work in said casing and including a base plate, a bracket thereon, and two lateral flanges yieldingly supporting said lid members, said article being hingedly mounted on said bracket beneath the opening in the casing.

5. A pocket casing adapted to contain an article to be alternately disclosed and concealed, comprising in combination, a suba stantially fiat, hollow casing body having an opening in one face, two cooperating lid members slidably mounted on the casing body in overlapping relation to each other and movable along the casing body to cover or expose said openin said article being 'hingedly mounted withln the casing beneath said opening, cam means on said article, a

' spring acting upon said cam means to normally hold said article in the interior of the casing, and means connected with one of the lid members and adapted upon opening said lid member to move said cam means relative to said spring whereby said spring causes said article to pivot about its hinge.

6. A pocket casing adapted to contain an article to be alternately disclosed and concealed, comprising in combination, a substantially flat, hollow casing body having an opening in one face, said article being hingcdly mounted within the casing beneath said opening, two cooperating lid members slidably mounted on the casing body in overlapping relation to each other and movable along the casing body to cover or expose said opening, a spring urging said article to pivot about its hinge, locking means for normally engaging said article and preventing pivotal movement thereof, and means connected with one of said lid members and adapted upon :3 opening said lid member to release said locking means from engagement with said article. In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ABRAM LOUIS J EANNERET. 

